Settings

2019 Seoul Biennale to offer themed urban tours

By Lee Suh-yoonThe organizing committee of this year's Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism will host 11 tours that explore how different sociopolitical factors make up urban settings in Seoul, the city government said, Tuesday.

The poster of 11 urban tours to be offered in line with Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Starting next month, the tours, presented under the theme of "collective city," will center around the city's history, social fabric, and of course, Instagram-friendly hipster neighborhoods.

Docents and history interpreters will lead the two-hour tours that will be mostly on foot with bus rides in-between. The tours will be held every weekend from Sept. 8 to Oct. 27 during the Seoul Biennale. "We hope the Collective City Seoul tours will help citizens better understand the theme of this year's Seoul Biennale," the biennale co-director Lim Jae-yong said in a press statement. "Through the tours, I hope we can rediscover Seoul's charm."Two of the history-themed tours will start at historic Joseon Kingdom sites Gyeongbok Palace and Gwanghwamun Square, respectively, and end at recent examples of urban architecture, one at the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture and the other at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Two other history courses will explore the Sewoon manufacturing area ― hard-hit by redevelopment this year ― and erased neighborhoods like Kyonam-dong. Avid users of Instagram can join the tours at Seongsu or Euljiro, where hipster cafes are interspersed among small factories. If not, the panoramic tour of the city's best observatories and rooftops will also do the job. All tours are run by the city government and free. Reservations can be made through search portal Naver's event booking platform starting Aug. 21. Visit http://www.seoulbiennale.org for more information.

By Lee Suh-yoonThe organizing committee of this year's Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism will host 11 tours that explore how different sociopolitical factors make up urban settings in Seoul, the city government said, Tuesday.

The poster of 11 urban tours to be offered in line with Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Starting next month, the tours, presented under the theme of "collective city," will center around the city's history, social fabric, and of course, Instagram-friendly hipster neighborhoods.

Docents and history interpreters will lead the two-hour tours that will be mostly on foot with bus rides in-between. The tours will be held every weekend from Sept. 8 to Oct. 27 during the Seoul Biennale. "We hope the Collective City Seoul tours will help citizens better understand the theme of this year's Seoul Biennale," the biennale co-director Lim Jae-yong said in a press statement. "Through the tours, I hope we can rediscover Seoul's charm."Two of the history-themed tours will start at historic Joseon Kingdom sites Gyeongbok Palace and Gwanghwamun Square, respectively, and end at recent examples of urban architecture, one at the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture and the other at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Two other history courses will explore the Sewoon manufacturing area ― hard-hit by redevelopment this year ― and erased neighborhoods like Kyonam-dong. Avid users of Instagram can join the tours at Seongsu or Euljiro, where hipster cafes are interspersed among small factories. If not, the panoramic tour of the city's best observatories and rooftops will also do the job. All tours are run by the city government and free. Reservations can be made through search portal Naver's event booking platform starting Aug. 21. Visit http://www.seoulbiennale.org for more information.